Frame section for a black-out blind assembly

ABSTRACT

A black-out blind assembly having a frame supporting a black-out blind moveable within the frame between open and closed positions wherein sections of the frame have inner and outer walls extending from a side wall so as to form a channel section defining a recess for receiving part of a black-out blind. A light absorbing substantially non-reflective insert is positioned within the recess of the channel section adjacent the inner, outer and side walls so as to prevent scattered and reflected light passing around the sides of the black-out blind.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to European patent application No.04253931.2, filed 30 Jun. 2004, which is hereby incorporated byreference as if fully disclosed herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a frame section of a frame for ablack-out blind assembly, in particular for reducing the transmission oflight through the blind assembly.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is well known to provide black-out blinds for architectural openings.These blinds are used to cover openings, such as windows, to cover theopening and prevent ingress of any light. Examples of such blinds aredescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,354,489, U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,892, DE 1 127555 and DE 1 705 816.

Although the blinds themselves can be sufficiently opaque to produce thedesired effect, there is a problem that light can be reflected withinthe frame supporting the blind, such that this light travels around theside of the blind.

To overcome this problem, the prior art proposes coating or paintinginside surfaces of the frame of the black-out blind. However, theprocess of painting or coating the components in this way is undesirablycomplicated and expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provide a frame section ofa frame for a black-out blind assembly supporting a black-out blindmoveable within the frame between open and closed positions, the framesection having:

-   -   inner and outer walls extending from a side wall so as to form a        channel section defining a recess for receiving part of a        black-out blind; and    -   a light absorbing substantially non-reflective insert positioned        within the recess of the channel section adjacent the inner,        outer and side walls.

In this way, it is not necessary to paint or coat inner portions of theframe which surround the sides of the black-out blind between the insideand the outside of the architectural opening. Painting and/or coatingframe sections can be a problem, since, usually, it is only theinnermost part of the frame section which needs to be light absorbingand non-reflective. It then becomes necessary to coat the frame sectionselectively.

By means of the present invention, it becomes a simple matter to preventstray light from being reflected around the sides of the black-outblind. The separately manufactured insert can easily be inserted intothe frame section.

Preferably, the insert is a sheet form extending between first andsecond parallel edges and is deformed so as to extend from the firstedge adjacent the inner wall around the inside of the channel section tothe second edge adjacent the outer wall.

By providing the insert as a sheet of appropriate width, it becomes verysimple and inexpensive to manufacture the insert. Assembly of the framesection is not difficult, because it is only necessary to deform thesheet appropriately to fit it into the channel section.

Preferably, within the recess of the channel section, the inner andouter walls are provided with respective supports for receiving thefirst and second edges of the insert.

In this way, the insert is easily and securely held in place within thechannel section.

The supports can include protrusions extending into the recess of thechannel section so as to prevent the edges of the insert movingoutwardly of the channel section.

The supports need not in themselves fix the edges of the insert to theinner and outer walls. By preventing the edges from moving outwardly ofthe channel section, the insert is effectively held securely in place.This is because it extends around the inside of the channel section and,hence, as a whole, cannot move such that its edges move inwardly of thechannel section.

The supports can define respective openings facing inwardly of therecess of the channel section for receiving the edges of the insert.

The openings can prevent the edges not only moving outwardly of thechannel section, but also from moving away from the inner and outerwalls.

The supports can form elongate channels.

The edges of the insert fit into the elongate channels so as to securethem in place with respect to the inner and outer walls.

Preferably, the insert is at least partly resilient such that, onceinserted in the recess of the channel section, the insert pressesoutwardly against the inner, outer and side walls.

In this way, it is not necessary to form accurately the insert before itis located in the channel section. The resilience of the insert causesit to follow generally the form of the channel section automatically.This also ensures that the insert does not interfere with the space ofthe recess or movement of the black-out blind within the recess.

The insert is preferably a black material. It may be made of a non-wovenmaterial, paper, woven fabric, non-woven fabric, extruded flat film,extruded film in shape, etc.

Frame sections of the present invention may be used for the sides offrames where a rolled black-out blind is unrolled from one end to theother along the length of the sides. In this case, a frame section canbe arranged to receive an edge of a sheet forming a black-out blind, theedge sliding along the channel section as the black-out blind is movedbetween open and closed positions.

Frame sections can also be used for ends of the frame.

Hence, the frame section can be arranged to receive the rolled sheetforming a black-out blind, the sheet being unrolled from and rolled intothe frame section as the black-out blind is moved between open andclosed positions.

Since a black-out blind will generally have a predefined thickness, itis possible to design the sides of a frame with channel sections havinga width corresponding to the thickness of the blind and, hence,minimising any scattered/reflected light around the sides of theblack-out blind. However, particularly for the end part of the frame inwhich the blind is rolled and unrolled, there is a problem of lightreflection. The end part has to have a sufficiently large recess toaccommodate a fully rolled black-out blind. As a result, when the blindis unrolled, there is a large space within the recess around which lightcan be reflected.

The present invention provides a very effective arrangement forovercoming this problem.

Preferably, where the frame section is arranged to receive a rolledsheet, the frame section further includes a rotatable support at each oftwo ends of the frame section for supporting therebetween a rolled sheetforming a black-out blind.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a black-outblind assembly, including a frame having at least one frame section asdescribed above, together with a black-out blind moveable within theframe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a black-out blind assembly in which the presentinvention may be embodied;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section through the head rail of the assemblyof FIG. 1 showing also a top portion of the side guide; and

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate perspective views of the portion of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdescription, given by way of example only, with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

The present invention is described with reference to an embodiment of ablack-out blind assembly for a window opening, but can, of course, beused with any architectural opening. Indeed, it is described withreference to a blind which unrolls from the top of the frame. It will beappreciated that the frame can be positioned in any orientation and theblack-out blind deployed in any appropriate direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, within a window frame 2 is mounted a black-outblind assembly 4.

The black-out blind assembly 4 includes a head rail 6 mounted at the topof the frame 2 and two side guides 8 and 10 which extend respectivelyfrom each end of the head rail 6 along opposite sides of the frame 2. Ablack-out blind 12 may be deployed downwardly from the head rail 6 withits two opposing edges contained within channel sections of the sideguides 8 and 10.

As illustrated, a hand rail 14 is provided to enable a user to move theblack-out blind up or down.

The black-out blind 12 is opaque such that, once fully deployed with thehand rail 14 at the bottom of the frame 2, the black-out blind assemblyprevents light from travelling past the frame 2.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate further details of the side guide 10 andhead rail 6 in the top left hand corner of the frame illustrated in FIG.1.

The side guide 10 has an inner wall 20, on the inside face of the blindassembly 4, an outer wall 22, on the outside face of the blind assembly4, and a side wall 24 from which these two generally parallel wallsextend.

Thus, as illustrated, the inner, outer and side walls form a channelsection 26. The channel section 26 defines an elongate recess alongwhich an edge of the black-out blind may slide up and down (asillustrated in FIG. 1).

Inevitably, in practice, there will be slight gaps between the outsidesurface of the black-out blind and the face of the outer wall 22 whichfaces the channel section 26. Hence, it is possible that light willenter into the channel section 26. This light could reflect off thesurfaces of the outer wall 22, side wall 24 and inner wall 26 beforeescaping on the opposite side of the black-out blind through slight gapsbetween the inner wall 20 and the inside surface of the black-out blind12.

To overcome this problem, an insert 30 is provided within the channelsection 26.

The insert 30 has a light absorbing substantially non-reflective surfaceand is, for instance, matt black.

The insert 30 could be pre-formed of any suitable material for insertioninto the channel section 26. However, in a preferred embodiment, theinsert 30 is formed as an elongate sheet extending between a first edge32 and a second edge 34. The sheet is merely deformed in the manner ofbending or folding to insert it into the channel section 26.

As illustrated, the first edge 32 is positioned adjacent the inner wall20 whilst the second edge 34 is positioned adjacent the outer wall 22.The sheet then extends around the periphery of the channel section 26providing the required light absorbing properties without interferingwith the sliding motion of the edge of the black-out blind in thechannel section 26.

By providing the sheet as a resilient member, it will inherently bebiased outwardly and, hence, conform to the inner profile of the channelsection 26.

Thus, in the preferred embodiment, the insert 30 is a black non-wovenrelatively resilient material.

As illustrated, the inner wall 26 and outer wall 22 are provided withrespective flanges 40 and 42 which extend towards one another andinwardly with respect to the channel section 26. These flanges 40 and 42form supports for the edges 32 and 34 of the insert 30. In particular,flange 40 prevents the edge 32 from moving outwardly of the channelsection and flange 42 prevents the edge 34 from moving outwardly of thechannel section. Hence, the insert 30 is held securely in place withinthe channel section 26.

It will be appreciated that, in this preferred embodiment, the sideguide 8 has a similar form and is provided with a corresponding insert.

The head rail 6 also has a similar arrangement with an inner wall 120 onthe inside of the frame 2 and a generally parallel outer wall 122 on theoutside of the frame 2. A side wall 124 joins the inner wall 120 andouter wall 122, but, as compared with the side guide 10, these wallsform a channel section 126 which has a partially circular cross sectionas compared with the more rectangular cross section of the channelsection 26.

The recess defined by the channel section 126 forms a space in which theblack-out blind 12 may be rolled. In this respect, an end cap 16, 18 isprovided at each respective end of the guide rail 6. As illustrated mostclearly in FIG. 3, an inner portion of each end cap 16, 18 is providedwith a support 60 on which a roll of black-out blind may be rotatablymounted. Although not of direct relevance to the present invention, theblind assembly may additionally be provided with mechanisms forretracting the black-out blind by re-rolling it or, indeed, mechanismsfor motorised operation of the blind.

Similarly to with the side guide 10, an insert 130 is provided withinthe recess of the channel section 126. The insert 130 is light absorbingand substantially non-reflective. As with the insert 30, the insert 130could be pre-formed for insertion and constructed of any suitablematerial. However, in the preferred embodiment, the insert 130 has asheet form extending from a first edge 132 to a second edge 134. Thefirst edge is positioned adjacent the inner wall 120 and the second edgeis positioned adjacent the outer wall 122.

It will be noted that, for the arrangement of the side guide 10 in thepreferred embodiment, the insert extends along substantially all of thedepth of the inner and outer walls 20 and 22. However, as is clear fromFIG. 2, it is not always necessary for the insert to extend up theentire wall. In particular, for FIG. 2, the second edge 134 of theinsert 130 extends only as far as the innermost part of the outer wall122.

As with the insert 30, the insert 130 is preferably at least partlyresilient. In this way, as illustrated, the insert 130 is naturallybiased so as to conform to the inner surface of the channel section 126.

The inner wall 120 is provided with a flange 140 which projects inwardlyof the channel section 126. This provides a step against which the firstedge 132 of the insert 130 abuts. The flange 140 thus forms a supportwhich prevents the first edge 132 from moving outwardly of the channelsection 126.

The outer wall 122 is formed with an inwardly facing elongate channel142 into which the second edge 134 of the insert 130 is mounted. In thisway, the elongate channel 142 provides a support for preventing thesecond edge 134 for moving outwardly of the channel section 126.

The insert 130 is thus easily held in place with the channel section126. By conforming generally to the inner surface of the channel section126, the insert 130 does not interfere with rolling or unrolling of theblack-out blind and yet still provides the necessary properties forpreventing or at least reducing reflection of light.

It will be appreciated that the supports for the edges of the insertscan be provided in other ways using any suitable form of rib, flange,groove, etc.

It will also be appreciated that similar inserts can be provided withside guides and head rails of other cross sections. For instance,similar inserts could be used with the frame sections described in EP 1045 111 and also EP 0 841 461, DE 44 06 287, U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,978 andGB 2 235 005 to which it refers.

International Design No. DM/052193 of 5 Aug. 1999 illustrates otherframe cross sections in which the present invention could be embodied.

1. A frame section of a frame for a black-out blind assembly supportinga black-out blind moveable within the frame between open and closedpositions, the frame section having: inner and outer walls extendingfrom a side wall so as to form a channel section defining a recess forreceiving part of a black-out blind; and a light absorbing substantiallynon-reflective insert positioned within the recess of the channelsection adjacent the inner, outer and side walls.
 2. A frame sectionaccording to claim 1 wherein the insert is a sheet form extendingbetween first and second generally parallel edges and is deformed so asto extend from the first edge adjacent the inner wall around the insideof the channel section to the second edge adjacent the outer wall.
 3. Aframe section according to claim 1 wherein, within the recess of thechannel section, the inner and outer walls are provided with respectivesupports for receiving the first and second edges of the insert.
 4. Aframe section according to claim 3 wherein one or more of the supportsinclude protrusions extending into the recess of the channel section soas to prevent the edges of the insert moving outwardly of the channelsection.
 5. A frame section according to claim 3 wherein one or more ofthe supports define respective openings facing inwardly of the recess ofthe channel section for receiving the edges of the insert.
 6. A framesection according to claim 3 wherein one or more of the supports fromelongate channels.
 7. A frame section according to claim 1 wherein theinsert is at least partly resilient such that, once inserted in therecess of the channel section, the insert presses outwardly against theinner, outer and side walls.
 8. A frame section according to claim 1wherein the insert is a black material, such as a non-woven material,paper, woven fabric, non-woven fabric, extruded flat film and extrudedfilm in shape.
 9. A frame section according to claim 1 wherein the framesection is arranged to receive an edge of sheet forming a black-outblind, the edge sliding along the channel section as the black-out blindis moved between open and closed positions.
 10. A frame sectionaccording to claim 1 wherein the frame section is arranged to receive arolled sheet forming a black-out blind, the sheet being unrolled fromand rolled into the frame section as the black-out blind is movedbetween open and closed positions.
 11. A frame section according toclaim 10 further including supports at each of two ends of the framesection for rotatably supporting therebetween a rolled sheet forming ablack-out blind.
 12. A black-out blind assembly comprising: a framehaving at least one frame section including inner and outer wallsextending from a side wall so as to form a channel section defining arecess for receiving part of a black-out blind and a light absorbingsubstantially non-reflective insert positioned within the recess of thechannel section adjacent the inner, outer and side walls; and ablack-out blind moveable within the frame.